Planned
by WriterRen
Summary: With Korra and Mako, nothing ever goes as planned. A oneshot on the progression of Mako and Korra's relationship from meeting, to dating, to marriage. Takes place between my stories Given and Chosen, but can stand alone. Makorra. Super itty-bitty microscopic Irosami.


**A/N So this takes place between my stories _Given _and _Chosen _but can stand alone. It talks more about Mako's proposal, Mako and Korra's marriage, and how we came to that last scene in _Given _(readers of that story know what I mean, but I don't want to spoil this oneshot's ending for new readers). Korra's near-death experience alluded to in this story is not part of _Given _but rather a vague speculation I have for Book 4 of LoK. Being that it will be the final season, I believe something major will happen and Korra's life could very well be in danger from it. *shrugs* We don't have any info on Book 3 or 4 so making a detailed speculation wouldn't be much good and I like to stick pretty close to canon. A detailed scenario is also not relevant to my romance-y Makorra fics that are currently underway. This is a super long oneshot, so I've made a second author's note at the end for further explanation. There are breaks throughout the piece if you need a place to pause. **

**Oh, and side note: I'm not against engagement rings or betrothal necklaces or anything, so don't be mad when you read that part. It's just how I think Korra would feel about such things.  
**

* * *

Planned

* * *

Mako was a planner. He always had been the kind to think ahead, even as a small child. His father taught him checkers and chess and pai sho from a young age and the little firebender mastered them all in short time. But perhaps Mako would not be such a relentless strategist had he continued with a carefree childhood.

He never planned to watch his parents die, cut down in an instant by a monster in human form. But after that horrific day, Mako planned meticulously for how to protect himself and his brother, doing whatever necessary to keep Bolin safe.

Necessity made him stoic and calculating to the point of being cold and sometimes frigid with his feelings. His uncaring demeanor kept many at a distance, which is just where he wanted them. Letting people get close makes you _care. _Makes you want them in your life and causes pain that cuts like a knife when they're no longer around.

* * *

Korra was not the type to plan things out. The native waterbender preferred to go with the flow and do things spur of the moment. Despite her disdain for patiently thinking things through or abiding by routine, the young Avatar had no choice but to follow a plan- a plan set out for her by others.

It didn't matter what Korra wanted. She had to do what the White Lotus and her sifus felt best. So until the age of seventeen, she grudgingly listened to and obeyed her elders, her tolerance of the system and its rules stretching to a point where it finally snapped.

Korra could no longer wait around for others to decide her destiny. She had to take action and take her life into her own hands.

So she ran away on her polar bear-dog, Naga, and stowed away on a ship headed for an unfamiliar city in unfamiliar country in an unfamiliar world. It dawned on the teenager not long after arriving in Republic City that here she was just a Southern Watertribe girl, raised in total isolation, with nothing but the clothes on her back and her furry companion.

No one knew she was the Avatar. Or in the case of Chief Beifong, they simply didn't care. She had no reputation here, no history, which was both a frightening and exciting prospect.

Here she was friendless and unknown.

Here she could carve her own image and shape her own fate.

Neither statement remained true long.

Korra quickly discovered that Republic City did not fully offer the freedom she'd sought. Tenzin still controlled her schedule as her teacher and guardian. Tarrlok used his power and influence to con her into acting as his tool. The media made a living shaping her reputation. And the entire city decided her destiny by proclaiming it her duty to stop a madman named Amon and his Equalist revolution.

But she found good things in the city, too.

Korra soon found her first friend (well, human friend at least) in Bolin. She did not instantly bond with his brother, Mako, but after a few weeks of thawing out the unfriendly firebender, they too grew close.

Then they grew closer, and closer. And suddenly the young Avatar realized she wasn't satisfied with just being friends. And, in time, Mako came to admit that neither was he.

* * *

Mako was aloof and level-headed and in-control of his actions, but not when it came to Korra. She made him feel an odd mix of frustration and admiration, leaving him torn between yelling at her rashness and naivety or kissing her into being quiet.

First Mako chose the former, and found himself fighting fire with fire. Flames flew from the enraged pairs' mouths in both the physical and metaphorical sense. Then their fire took another form and he opted for the latter method of dealing with Korra. Kissing the stubborn, reckless girl was a much better occupation for his mouth than yelling or scolding, and the strategy was far more effective.

Mako hadn't intended to fall in love with the Avatar. It had been an accident, really, but it was the best accident of his life.

* * *

One thing Mako truly feared was losing someone he loved. And so he strove with all his strength and ability to protect his brother, his girlfriend, his friends, and all those dear to him.

Occasionally, but too often for comfort, Korra's recklessness made him sick to his stomach with worry. He often wore a mask of calm in public, but the few times he'd _truly _almost lost her, he couldn't contain his frustration and fear. Pity the person that stood between a wrathful Mako and his love. The firebender could be as dangerous in his anger as in his chilling calm. And absolutely nothing would threaten Korra without going through him.

The instant that he got her alone after a scare, he would crash his lips to hers, letting her know without words how much he cared for her, pleading with her between kisses to be more careful.

Guilt always doused Korra like cold water when such moments came. She would apologize for worrying him and promise to take caution next time and kiss him as he held her in his strong, protective embrace. He'd hold her as though if he let go, he'd lose her. She'd return the iron embrace and the two would stay in each others' arms until his breathing evened out and his worries diminished.

Mako knew very well that life offered no guarantees. Korra was the Avatar. He was a police officer. They faced danger on a near-daily basis. But those moments reminded Mako of just how much he loved Korra and that he wanted to spend every day of his life by her side.

So Mako devised a plan to ask Korra to marry him.

* * *

Mako thought out every detail of the evening on which he would propose. First, he and Korra would go to Norrok's for dinner. It was far from the fanciest restaurant in town, but remained Korra's favorite place to eat. After, the couple would go for a stroll in the park where Mako would ask his girlfriend to be his wife under the same tree they had once fallen asleep beneath when searching for Bolin. He committed every word of his proposal speech to memory.

Korra once confessed to her boyfriend during a trip to the Northern Watertribe two years ago that she disliked the traditional betrothal necklace. While for many couples it truly was a symbol of love, Korra couldn't help but think it marked a girl as a possession, especially given the necklace's history. It didn't help that Naga wore a collar strongly resembling the traditional jewelry during their stay in order to distinguish the pet from wild polar bear-dogs.

The Earth Kingdom had a tradition of exchanging rings as a sign of matrimony. Given the United Republic's history as part of the Earth Kingdom, UR citizens of all backgrounds adopted the practice. The citizens of Republic City built upon the trend by blending the marital customs of both the Earth and Water countries, resulting in the engagement ring.

Presenting a diamond ring to the bride-to-be had started as a trend among the upper-class and slowly trickled down through the years. Korra scoffed at this tradition too, stating that at least the betrothal necklace was carved by the groom's own hands, while an engagement ring was simply a show of wealth on the man's part and a means to brag on the woman's.

Mako, who knew better than anyone the value of a yuan, loved the young Avatar all the more for her indifference towards material things. Still, he wanted to do something special to show how much she meant to him.

* * *

Mako removed a dusty wooden box from beneath his bed with care, a box the twenty-one-year-old hadn't opened in many years. Inside, the young man kept a photo of his parents, his brother and himself when they had been a happy family, along with his parents' wedding bands.

Mako distinctly recalled the sound of the thin gold rings hitting the pavement as his parents' murderer fled the scene of the crime. He never could or would understand how a person could be so evil as to kill a young couple in front of their child.

It was senseless violence. They'd cooperated and handed the robber what little money they had, and had even relinquished their wedding bands, the only finery the pair possessed.

Mako clenched the rings in his hand, sitting on his bed as he trembled at the memory. He furiously rubbed at his eyes as tears he'd long suppressed fell. Caught up in the terrible remembrance, he didn't hear the door to his room open softly.

"Mako?" Korra's voice was quiet with dismay at seeing her boyfriend cry. A few tears had fallen from the firebender's eyes in empathy for Korra the night after she lost her bending to Amon and he'd broken down at her bedside when he'd nearly lost her in the battle a few months ago, but such show of sadness remained a rare sight from Mako.

Mako didn't meet his girlfriend's pained expression, but buried his head into his elbow in attempt to conceal his grief.

Korra carefully approached the young man, gently wrapping her fingers around his arm and lowering it to see him clearly. Placing her hands on his face, she silently wiped away lingering liquid. Still he refused to meet her gaze, wishing for his significant other not to see him like this.

"Hey, Cool Guy," she whispered. "What you told me about never having to hide from you? It works both ways."

Korra gasped as she was suddenly lifted into Mako's lap and he pressed his nose into her hair. She wrapped her arms around the young man's shaking frame and combed through his hair as he did for her when she broke down.

"Please tell me what's wrong, babe." Her voice was pleading. Mako didn't speak right away, but tightened his grip on her waist and kissed her neck.

"I love you." His mouth against her skin muffled the words, but his earnestness was clear.

"I didn't realize that was problematic." Korra tried to laugh, but it came out as more of a dry sob. Mako ignored the poor attempt at humor and pressed a long kiss to her temple. Korra pressed her forehead to his and again requested that he tell her what had upset him.

He took a shaky breath and consented. "I was thinking about when my parents died."

"Oh," she breathed. Despite their knowing each other for the last three years and dating two, they rarely discussed this sensitive topic. "What made you to think of that?"

Mako's felt a twitch in the hand that remained clinched around his bedding. His fingers tightened around his parents' wedding bands as he inwardly debated whether or not to reveal the objects to the Avatar.

Mako hadn't counted on Korra finding out this way, but when did anything ever go according to plan for them? His parents' deaths reinforced the fact that life is fragile, and that precious moments are not to be wasted. So why not make this moment count?

Korra could be called away to fulfill her Avatar duty at any time. Despite her incredible power, there was always that chance that something could go wrong.

Mako had been waiting for the right time to ask for her hand ever since the idea first entered his mind those many months ago, when she'd come so very near to death. Their busy schedules prevented him from taking her on the date he'd set in his mind as the one on which he'd propose. He didn't want to wait any longer to say what weighed on his heart.

The firebender hugged the young woman closer and took a deep breath, revealing the golden rings in his palm. "They were my parents'," he explained.

Korra nodded, trying to understand what about the objects had caused such response in her boyfriend. Of course recalling his deceased family was a somber ordeal, but she'd never seen it affect him this visibly.

"The man...was trying to take these...he dropped them as he ran after...after they were gone."

Korra pressed her mouth to his gently, signaling that Mako didn't have to continue if he didn't want to. He pulled her further into his lap and pulled back just enough to speak.

"Do you know why I got these out after all these years?"

The waterbender shook her head in the negative, shocked when Mako suddenly smiled. He took her hands in his and kissed her again. "Because I wondered what they would look like on us."

Mako's amber eyes watched her expectantly as Korra unraveled the implication of his words. Her blue eyes lit up with realization and hope, mingled with a slight fear of being wrong. "Mako...are you say- are you ask-" She just couldn't get the words out.

The young man made his meaning clear by shifting her so she sat on the bed while Mako dropped to one knee on the floor.

Korra's mind went into overdrive. She'd lived in Republic City long enough to know what this gesture meant, though she couldn't quite bring herself to believe this was really happening.

Every word of Mako's preplanned speech flew from his mind. Not that any of that mattered. He'd always struggled with words regardless of whether he thought them out or not.

He took her hands into his once more, squeezing gently. "What I'm saying..." Mako paused, trying to word it right, then smiled as he recalled the one line he'd waited years to use. "What I'm saying is that I really like you and I think we were meant to be together. Korra, will you ma-?"

"Yes." The word tumbled from her mouth before she could stop it and she quickly covered it in embarrassment. "Sorry," she muttered behind her hand. "Finish...what you were saying."

Mako chuckled at her everlasting impatience and kissed her hand. "Will you marry me, Korra?"

She nodded furiously, hand still pressed to her mouth. Korra didn't trust herself to speak. It was hard enough to breath. Mako always had a way of flustering her, sometimes to the point her brain could barely function. This time, her brain had completely shut down.

Mako gave Korra the happiest smile she'd ever seen from the firebender as he pulled her hand away from her face to claim her lips.

It wasn't how he'd pictured proposing, but Mako and Korra thought the moment perfect all the same.

* * *

The Avatar and Officer Mako somehow managed to keep their engagement under wraps, despite some rather ethic-lacking reporters sticking their noses in the influential couple's business.

Bolin and Asami were the first to be told. The earthbender scooped his brother and soon-to-be-sister-in-law into platypus-bear hug while the Future Industries CEO gave her friends a brilliant, sincere smile.

"Congratulations!" Asami said with genuine warmth as she hugged Korra and Mako in turn.

"This is so exciting!" Bolin waved his arms around in animated fashion. "I'm so happy for you, bro. And Korra, I couldn't ask for a better big sister."

"Thanks, Bo." The Avatar smiled, slightly embarrassed and truly touched by her friends' support. Mako, for the first time in years, just couldn't stop smiling.

"Have you made any plans yet?" Asami asked.

"Oh, no," Korra answered quickly, the question catching her off guard. "There really hasn't been time for that yet."

"You will let me help with the arrangements, won't you?" Though a tough cookie, Asami was definitely a girly-girl in some regards.

"Pabu can be the ring-bearer!" As Bolin eagerly threw out whatever ideas popped into his head and Asami argued in her tolerant way with each one, Korra felt herself slightly overwhelmed by all the details a wedding supposedly entailed.

Mako recalled his fiancee's attention by placing a soothing hand on her back. "When do your parents arrive in town?"

Korra was grateful for the change of subject. "The end of the week."

Mako nodded. "So, we'll tell them when they get here. We might hold off on telling anyone else till then."

"They'd appreciate that." Korra smiled and took his hand in hers.

"Wait, you guys haven't told anyone else?" Asami asked, abandoning her fruitless debate with Bolin. While honored to be one of first to know, her friends' secrecy confused her. "No one but us knows?"

"Yes, and it will stay that way so long as _certain people_ keep the information to themselves." Mako gave his younger brother a pointed look.

"Hey! I can keep a secret!" Bolin declared, offended by his brother's lack of faith in his secret-keeping abilities.

"We don't really want the media catching wind of it," Korra explained. Asami nodded in understanding, being no stranger to the tabloids.

"And this way you won't have to worry about dealing with politicians and celebrities," the heiress added.

"_Not _that you have to worry about any slips from _me_-" Bolin rocked heel to toe with his arms behind his back. "-but how _long _does this need to stay a secret?"

"The _whole_ time!" Mako snapped, glaring at the earthbender meaningfully. "Until the wedding is over."

Bolin threw his hands up defensively. "Okay! Okay. Geez, bro. I was just asking."

The firebender pinched the bridge of his nose as a headache formed. Korra laughed.

"We should make the date soon then."

* * *

Korra's parents were visibly thrilled when told the news. Senna rushed forward and enveloped her daughter in a tight hug, then hugged Mako with equal delight. Tonraq clamped the young man on the back and embraced his little girl with a tear in his eye.

"I'm honestly surprised my dad wasn't mad at you," Korra said with a laugh as the couple strolled around the Air Temple grounds. Korra still lived with the Airbending family when in Republic City and her parents were staying on the island, too.

"Why?" Mako asked, taken aback. "Your dad and I get along great."

"But you violated all of our traditions," she clarified. "No betrothal necklace _and _you didn't ask the woman's father for permission." Korra smirked, then looked confused as her fiance gave her a smug look.

"Actually, I spoke to Tonraq about it months ago, during our last trip to the Southern Watertribe."

Korra's mouth hung open a moment, eyebrows scrunching in disbelief. "Just how long were you planning this?" she managed to ask after a minute.

Mako's expression turned serious and he stopped, tugging her close. He traced the edge of a scar that ran along the skin just beneath her collarbone, unconcealed by her spring ensemble of a tank-top and capris.

"Since I almost lost you last fall," he answered, stooping to kiss the faded mark that nearly caused Korra's death. He pressed his forehead to hers and looked at her intensely. "I can't stand the thought of loosing you. I need you, Korra, and I love you. I want to spend my life with you."

Korra wrapped her arms around Mako and kissed him softly, smiling. "Good, because you're stuck with me, City Boy. And I love you, too."

* * *

Tenzin and his family, alongside Katara and Lin Beifong, were the final group to be told of the upcoming marriage. Ikki squealed and jumped ten feet in the air in her excitement while Jinora clasped her hands and awed. Meelo made a sound of disgust and little Ronan giggled at his sisters' antics.

The adults exchanged hugs and congratulations with the couple. Even the rigid chief of police embraced the Avatar, though it was rather stiff and awkward, and caused her underling to stumble with a hardy smack on the back in congratulations.

The ceremony was held on Air Temple Island just three weeks after Mako's proposal. Asami made short work of the wedding plans and, much to Korra's relief, kept everything simple, but elegant.

Only family and their closest friends were in attendance, seated before one of the garden gazebos. Nature provided most of the scenery as the cherry blossoms were in bloom across the island and the sun shone in a blue, cloudless sky.

Ikki and Jinora made adorable flower-girls in yellow and orange dresses, the traditional Airbender colors. The sisters guided their two-year-old brother down the aisle as ring-bearer while Pabu looked on sadly from his perch on Naga's head.

Asami, the maid of honor and only bridesmaid, came next in a spring-green dress the color of her eyes. Her arm was looped with that of her escort, General Iroh. The heiress winked at her boyfriend-of-a-year as he joined the guests and she took her place beside Tenzin, standing across from the brothers.

Mako fidgeted slightly in his suit. Bolin stood beside him as best man and gave his brother a reassuring pat on the shoulder.

When Korra walked down the aisle alongside her father, Mako swore that she'd bent the air right out of his lungs. The bride wore a modern adaption of the traditional _qi pao _in light blue with gold engraving on the sash and collar. Her brown hair was pulled half-back and loosely curled.

Mako thought Korra beautiful inside and out at all times, but in that moment, with her eyes on him and a smile bright as the moon, Korra shone with perfect radiance.

Tonraq unhooked his arm from his daughter's when they reached the gazebo, placed a kiss on her cheek, and joined Senna in the audience.

Pale and dark hands interlocked as Korra came to stand beside the groom. They gently squeezed one-another's hands and exchanged smiles throughout the reading of the vows. Neither hesitated when saying 'I do.'

Then came the exchange of rings. Bolin handed the wedding bands to Mako, who slid his mother's ring onto Korra's finger. Korra did the same for him with his father's ring and laced her hand with his. This was a sign of matrimony she could appreciate; the bands signified partnership and unending love.

At the ceremony's conclusion, the newly married couple bowed respectfully to one-another as was tradition, before Mako pulled Korra to him by the waist to properly kiss his wife.

Tenzin's face rouged slightly at this public display of affection. Though the first kiss as husband and wife was a trend among many young people's weddings, the gesture deviated from traditional proceedings. _Kids these days, _the temple master thought. _This generation seems determined to uproot ancient practices. _But seeing the two young adults so happy caused Tenzin to inwardly admit the new tradition wasn't so bad, and he smiled along with everyone else.

Mako and Korra didn't see the airbending master's reaction, or the hear the 'aaawwws' from the women, or hear the coughs of discomfort from the men. All they knew was the bliss of the moment.

She was his, and he was hers.

* * *

The high-profile couple was greeted by a flock of reporters upon returning from a two-week honeymoon on Ember Island. Bolin kept his mouth shut for as long as necessary and not a moment longer.

Fashion writers questioned why Korra wore neither an engagement ring nor betrothal necklace. News journalists inquired as to how married life might alter the Avatar's ability to focus on her duties. Would Officer Mako quit the force to travel with his wife? When had the wedding taken place, exactly? Why was it private? Why was it rushed?

Korra almost hit one man who implied it was a shotgun wedding, but her husband took her fist in his hand and led her away from the crowd. Mako made sure to give that reporter a glare to do Lin proud.

Korra whistled and her faithful polar-bear dog bolted off the ferry, rushing toward her master.

"Let's ditch these mudslingers, girl." And with that, the Avatar and her spouse made their way home without further incident.

* * *

Despite the countless times Korra had visited her boyfriend's-now husband's- apartment, this time was different.

This time she wouldn't be leaving by curfew to return to the Air Temple. This time Mako wouldn't forfeit his bed to her and sleep on the couch, as he had the handful of times she'd slept over. This time she was home.

"What are you doing?" Korra asked as her husband scooped her into his arms at the entryway.

"It's tradition to carry the bride over the threshold," Mako explained with a smile.

"Maybe here. That doesn't work so well with an igloo." She wrapped her arms around his neck. "But whatever floats your boat, Strong Guy."

Korra's few possessions had been moved to Mako's apartment prior to their leaving for the honeymoon, all contained in a single suitcase in the corner. The place was scarcely furnished as Mako was still quite careful with money, but it was neatly organized. Korra wondered how long it would stay in such a tidy state now that she, too, would occupy the apartment.

Mako deposited his wife on the couch and laid down beside her, wrapping his arms around her waist. Korra snuggled into his chest and sighed, breathing in his scent. He no longer wore his trademark scarf, having used it as a tourniquet on Korra in that last dangerous mission. Mako didn't regret it in the least. He'd always have a part of his father in his heart, and it had been a small sacrifice to make to ensure his love's safety.

The couple exchanged lazy kisses for awhile before Korra grew restless. "I'm bored," the young Avatar declared with a sigh.

"So what do you want to do then?" her husband asked, completely content to remain unmoving on the couch awhile longer.

"I know _something_ we could do," Korra singsonged with a devious grin.

Mako grinned back and kissed her lightly on the lips. "We've been doing _that _for the last two weeks."

"Are you complaining?" Korra asked raising an eyebrow.

Mako laughed and pulled her flush against him, lowering his voice seductively. "Not in the least."

He leaned in to kiss her and things quickly heated up between the two firebenders. Korra didn't complain of boredom the rest of the night.

* * *

The newlyweds enjoyed their newfound activity every opportunity they could the first few months of their marriage, but Mako's varying work schedule and Korra's Avatar duties started causing them to have less and less time together.

By their fourth month as husband and wife, the couple's time was divided between traveling and staying in Republic City. August required Korra to attend various political events across the United Republic as the parties geared up for elections in November. Even when in Republic City, the mayor and council consumed her time.

Things died down by winter, when all the elections were over. For awhile the couple was able to spend far more time with one another. But in midwinter, despite the reduction in her schedule, Korra was often so exhausted by the time Mako returned from an evening shift that she was already sound asleep in their bed. Mako felt as though he hardly got to see his wife.

Thankfully, the city gained the finances to expand the police force, allowing Mako to work the day shift full time. The firebender came home to tell his wife the good news, but frowned upon finding her passed out on the couch at just four in the afternoon. He knew Korra liked her sleep, but this recent overdose of fatigue was far from normal for the usually-active Avatar.

"Hey, babe?" Mako quietly called to his wife, squatting on his knees so his face was level with hers. Korra groaned and opened her eyes, staring at her husband blearily.

"Mako? What time is it?" she asked in a groggy manner, trying to connect the sun outside with her husband's presence. "Shouldn't you be at work?"

He kissed her softly on the lips and smiled. "I have good news about that. I'll just be doing the day shift from now on, unless there's some kind of emergency."

Korra smiled tiredly at Mako. "That's great."

Mako looked at the dark circles under his wife's eyes with concern. "Are you okay, sweetheart? You've been so tired lately. Maybe you should go see a healer."

Korra bit her lip and observed the carpet with sudden interest. "Actually...I went to see a healer today."

Mako looked at the waterbender curiously. "Okay, good. So what did the healer say?"

"Well, um. The reason I've been so sleepy lately is...well, you know how the moon gives waterbenders more power and makes me kind of restless?"

Mako nodded, confused by this seemingly random change in topic. She chewed her lip as she pondered what to say and how to say it. "See, winter is the season of water. And so full moons are particularly impacting during this time. But...but not just on my bending."

Mako's eyebrows scrunched further together in puzzlement, having absolutely no idea where his spouse was going with this. Korra sat up and tugged at Mako's sleeve childishly, urging him to sit with her. He obliged and pulled her into his lap, his hands moving in soothing circles across her back.

Korra swallowed and cupped his cheek, forcing herself to look into his amber eyes. "The moon also affects fertility," she explained barely above a whisper. Mako's expression changed to one of surprise and he pulled her closer.

"Korra, are you-"

"I'm pregnant," she blurted out, wincing as the words left her mouth. She kept her eyes shut, afraid to look at him. Mako felt slightly saddened by her apparent unhappiness with the situation.

"Does that upset you, Korra?" he asked with disappointment. Her eyes flew open in alarm.

"What? Upset me? No! Not at all! I mean, yes, it was unexpected and I'm still trying to get used to the idea but I- No! No, no no." She shook her head back and forth. "I thought that maybe you would be upset because...we talked about kids, but we never talked about having one so _soon _and you're busy with work and-_Are _you upset? I just-it's a lot to take in, but with time-"

Mako shushed the rambling woman with a finger to her lips. "Korra. I'm not upset."

"You're not?" she asked dubiously.

"Of course not," he said, his gaze softening as he caressed her cheek. "I'm having a child with the woman I love most in the world. I couldn't be happier." And the smile on his face proved it, too.

Korra giggled with relief and joy as Mako peppered her with kisses. "Well, it's really _me_ that will be _having_ the baby," she corrected jokingly. Mako chuckled into her neck.

"I don't envy you there, sweetheart." She moved to smack him lightly on the shoulder, but Mako caught her hand and pulled her into a kiss.

Korra and Mako hadn't planned for their lives to be this way, because life had delivered greater happiness than they ever pictured possible.

* * *

**A/N And, there you go! Now it's all caught up to the end of _Given_ and you can read the first chapter of _Chosen_. I didn't really mean for the proposal scene to be angsty (why do I alternate from angsty to fluffly? It's like it must be one or the other), but that's the scene that came to mind as I wrote it and I just could not write it any other way no matter what I tried. Hopefully you enjoyed the bits of humor in this story, too. I'll post _The Time Between _real soon, but university starts back up tomorrow, so time might be short.**

**If you were wondering, this is how I envision Korra's qi pao (wedding dress) **

**Don't forget to please review and thanks for reading. ^^ Oh, and I'm uploading this at night, so if I made a typo or something, let me know and I'll correct it.  
**


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